Ships crossing the Red Sea have begun employing special tactics to escape attacks from the armed Houthi group operating in Yemen. Some vessels are now sending messages claiming that all crew members on board are Muslims. They are also disclosing the nationalities of their crew members. The Houthis’ military operation began on October 7, 2023, in response to the Jewish genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The Red Sea is a main route for transporting oil and other goods. However, the Houthi campaign to support Palestinian Muslims has disrupted shipping services through the Red Sea. The area has become more dangerous for vessels, leading to a decrease in the number of ships traveling through it.
Last week, the Houthis launched dangerous attacks on two vessels traveling through the Red Sea, sinking both cargo ships. The group’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, stated that there would be no safety for ships transporting goods to Zionist Israel via the Red Sea, nor for other vessels belonging to companies involved in such activities. However, cargo ships have now started using special tactics to escape Houthi attacks. Some ships traveling through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait are sending special messages through their tracking systems. Some of these messages include the names of the countries to which the crew members belong. One message stated, “All crew members are Muslims.” Some messages also claim that the vessel has no connection to Zionist Israel.
Ship tracking companies say this is a measure taken to escape the Houthis’ powerful attacks. However, maritime security experts say they do not believe such measures will stop Houthi attacks. Houthi attacks. Some experts say that before attacking any vessel, the Houthis’ intelligence agency collects and analyzes a large amount of information about the ship and its crew. Following last week’s attacks that sank two vessels, the cost of insurance for transporting goods through the Red Sea has doubled. Insurance industry experts say that with the Houthis’ latest attacks, the premium has risen from 0.3% to 0.7%. Experts also revealed that some insurance companies have suspended services for vessels traveling through the Red Sea.
Some experts say that insurance fees charged by some companies for a seven-day trip have risen to as much as 1%. These rates are comparable to the highest rates during the period when Houthi attacks were most intense in 2024. As a result, experts say that the insurance expenditure for each vessel has increased by several thousand US dollars.
